Sponsored By Viasat
www.viasat.com/gov-uk
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13 June 19. Viasat to work with Indigenous Centre for Appropriate Tech on satellite network. US satellite and communications company Viasat has teamed up with the Alice Springs-based Centre for Appropriate Technology to bring improved Earth observation to outback Australia. This multimillion-dollar investment in a Viasat Real-Time Earth (RTE) facility in Alice Springs will give central Australia a key role in the booming Australian and global satellite and space industry, Viasat said.
The Centre for Appropriate Technology is an Aboriginal not-for-profit science and technology company based in Alice Springs, which will build and own the facility through its wholly-owned commercial subsidiary CfAT Satellite Enterprises and through Indigenous Business Australia (IBA).
IBA is a government authority that will help finance the project and provide related commercial advice and support.
The Viasat RTE system will be a hybrid space and ground network, which is expected to make Earth observation and remote sensing cheaper and faster.
Viasat RTE networks are used by low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite operators to bring environmental, shipping and resources sector users access to data on demand without having to invest in a dedicated antenna system.
Viasat said satellite design and launch services have advanced but capability to collect and disseminate data has lagged. Its RTE network aims to address that shortfall. The Alice Springs facility will comprise two Viasat full-motion antenna systems and associated infrastructure and will be part of the Viasat RTE network, complementing other sites in North America, South America and Europe.
CfAT chief executive Dr Steve Rogers said working with Viasat and IBA on development of the RTE facility demonstrated their capacity to contribute positively to technology and space advances in outback Australia.
“The development will provide a positive contribution to the local economy through contract opportunities for local businesses during the facility construction phase, and ongoing employment opportunities for local Aboriginal people once operational,” he said.
“The CfAT facilities management team will be providing on-going site maintenance.”
IBA chief executive Rajiv Viswanathan said this was a lighthouse project to show the world that Aborignal people could be a the forefront of new technology industries.
“CfAT is a successful Aboriginal corporation that has for many years been at the vanguard of technology innovation and application in remote Australia,” he said.
“We expect the RTE facility at CfAT’s headquarters will create a platform from which CfAT can grow its business in Australia and, potentially, globally as it looks to generate commercial returns for CfAT as well as flow-on benefits for the local economy.”
John Williams, vice president of Real-Time Earth at Viasat, said partnering with CfAT and IBA would enable them to build a state-of-the-art RTE ground station advancing remote sensing data delivery around the world.
“We are revolutionising data delivery for LEO satellites, bringing affordability and lower latency communications to Earth observation and remote sensing applications. The Alice Springs community will be a big part in our development and execution of these advancements,” he said. (Source: Space Connect)
13 June 19. US Marine Corps tunes into narrowband network. The USMC has now begun rolling out its next-generation narrowband SATCOM system to replace its legacy SATCOM networks. Thousands of antenna kits for the AN/PRC-117G radio system and hundreds of diplexers are being fitted to vehicles to provide access to the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite waveform now being deployed across the USMC.
Fielding of the MUOS system, which can be accessed via a mobile telephone-type application, took place in Q1 FY 2019.
According to manufacturers Lockheed Martin, MUOS will provide 16-times the capacity of the legacy system it will eventually replace.
This should increase access to voice and data communication in addition to it improving overall communications reliability in urban environments, and dense vegetation.
Access to the MUOS capability is via updated firmware installed on the AN/PRC-117G radio system and one of three antenna kits. The antennas enable marines to simultaneously access SATCOM networksas well as access to secure and non-secure internet access.
The MUOS firmware systems allow for a connection to MUOS sattellites. These two payloads provide access to Wideband Code Division Multiple Access waveform capabilities and the legacy UHF satellite communications system, which is still used by mobile forces around the world.
The network is sustained by an initial configuration of four orbiting satellites (MUOS 1-4) and four relay ground stations. An on-orbit spare, MUOS-5, will ensure the network is always available to support US and allied mobile forces
The roll-out comes as militaries around the world look to exploit both wideband and narrowband SATCOM systems as means to deal with increasing amounts of information in a multi-domain setting while evading detection or jamming.
The Danish MoD announced it will implement NATO’s Broadcast and Ship Shore Enhancement One architecture on 12 ships and three shore stations.
The system is based on the R&S M3SR Series 4000HF radios with new interfaces for wideband applications. (Source: Shephard)
13 June 19. KBR (NYSE: KBR) announced today it has been awarded a $200m contract by NASA to provide launch range operations support at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. This is a new contract award for KBR.
Under this five-year contract, KBR will perform a broad range of work, such as radar, telemetry, logistics, tracking, and communications services for flight vehicles. These will include orbital and suborbital rockets, aircraft, satellites, balloons, and unmanned aerial systems.
KBR will also test, modify and install communications and electronic systems, and operate ground, spacecraft and launch vehicle processing systems at launch facilities, launch control centers and test facilities. It will also provide information and computer systems services, and range technology sustainment engineering services.
The company will carry out this work at Wallops Island, as well as other locations around the U.S. and world. The period of performance begins in August and runs through August 2024.
“KBR recognizes the importance of Wallops’ various flight assets and unique launch and airfield capabilities to the government and private sector,” said Stuart Bradie, KBR President and CEO. “We will proudly assist NASA in providing launch range services to meet its diverse mission needs with this new contract.”
KBR has provided mission-critical space support services to NASA and other customers for more than 60 years. It currently operates at 11 NASA centers and facilities and supports work in the areas of space technology, aeronautics, science, exploration and operations. KBR is one of the world’s largest human spaceflight support organizations and a leading solutions provider to the civil, military and commercial space segments.
13 June 19. ‘Space Corps’ gets OK in House committee’s NDAA markup. The House Armed Services Committee approved a new military branch for space early Thursday. The panel unanimously adopted the measure by a voice vote after debating for less than an hour. It was offered by Strategic Forces Sub Committee chairman Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., who first offered the idea of a sixth branch two years ago.
“So the Space Corps is as close as we could make it to the proposal that passed this committee overwhelmingly,” Cooper said.
“It is not a $13bn expenditure, a gold-plated plan like had been proposed to us by the secretary of the Air Force. It is instead a reorganization so that space professionals can be properly recognized for their skill and ability and promoted.”
Rogers said the amendment is “almost identical to what passed out of this committee nearly unanimously ― and it was essential do be done.”
A one-time skeptic of a new space branch, the Strategic Forces Subcommittee’s ranking member, Rep. Mike Turner, endorsed the proposal, which he said was in line with “Donald Trump’s vision.”
The language aims to establish a Space Corps within the Department of the Air Force, with its own streamlined acquisition system, a four-star commandant on the Joint Chiefs, and a civilian secretary. It would not fold in the National Reconnaissance Office. The defense secretary would be required to provide a report on its structure and personnel needs by 2021. Rogers called it “an evolving product over the next four or five years.”
The Trump administration and Space Force proponents have argued a dedicated service is needed to counter Chinese and Russian threats to America’s space-based assets for satellite communications; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, as well as GPS.
The committee’s approach differs from Senate authorizers, whose bill backs the formation of a new service, fully funded at $72.4m. Still, its proposed structure differs from the White House’s legislative proposal.
The House and Senate are expected to reconcile their competing versions of the bill before it can pass Congress. (Source: Defense News)
12 June 19. Spaceflight’s First Rideshare Mission Aboard a Rocket Lab Electron Readies for Launch. As the sole customer, Spaceflight commissioned and coordinated launch of seven spacecraft. Spaceflight, the leading satellite rideshare and mission management provider, today announced it will launch seven spacecraft from five organizations later this month on Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 at the southern tip of Mahia Peninsula, on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. This mission, also called “Make It Rain” by Rocket Lab as a nod to the weather in both Seattle and New Zealand, represents Spaceflight’s first of five launches scheduled with Rocket Lab this year.
“We’re looking forward to not only our inaugural flight with Rocket Lab, but a long-term partnership to increase access to space via frequent launches,” said Curt Blake, CEO of Spaceflight. “Having the Electron in our arsenal of small launch vehicles provides our customers with a low-cost, flexible option to get on orbit.”
Satellites on the mission include BlackSky’s Global-3, two U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Prometheus, Melbourne Space Program’s ACRUX-1, two Swarm SpaceBEEs, and an undisclosed customer. Spaceflight managed the procurement, integration, and mission management services for all the customers manifested on the Electron. The cubesats were processed and integrated in Spaceflight’s Auburn, Wash.-based facility while BlackSky shipped its microsat directly to the Rocket Lab facility in New Zealand for its final integration by the Spaceflight team.
“After launching our first two Earth observation satellites to sun-synchronous orbit in 2018, we’re excited to get Global-3 up in a mid-inclination orbit to further deliver on the rapid revisit rate necessary to monitor locations of interest around the world,” said Brian O’Toole, CEO of BlackSky. “As we continue our constellation expansion, it will be critical to leverage the frequent launch cadence Spaceflight offers through Rocket Lab and others, and we’re excited to be on this inaugural mission.”
This mission marks Spaceflight’s third launch of 2019. It follows the successful launch and deployment of 21 spacecraft aboard PSLV C45 in March 2019 as well as the GTO-1 mission, launching the first commercial lunar lander in February aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Additionally, in December 2018, Spaceflight executed the company’s historic dedicated rideshare mission, SSO-A, which launched 64 unique smallsats. To date, the company has negotiated the launch of more than 260 satellites and has plans for approximately 10 more missions in 2019 launching nearly 100 payloads across a wide variety of launch vehicles, including the Falcon 9, Antares, Electron, Vega, Vector, PSLV, and LauncherOne. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
12 June 19. MDA, a Maxar Company, Announces Successful Launch of Canada’s RADARSAT Constellation Mission. Three MDA-built Earth observation satellites will work together to bring solutions to key challenges for Canadians. MDA, a Maxar company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), announced today that the three RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) satellites developed by MDA for the Canadian Space Agency are performing according to plan. The satellites launched this morning aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and began sending and receiving signals from space. The satellites will now go through a series of in-orbit manoeuvres and tests before entering service later this year.
MDA is the prime contractor for the project and was responsible for the engineering design, construction and testing of the three satellites, the ground segment and operations development. Launch was provided by MDA subcontractor SpaceX. MDA is also providing mission operations services for the first year on orbit, supporting the integration of RCM into mission-critical activities across the Canadian government.
RCM represents a major enhancement of Canada’s RADARSAT program, following the successes of RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2. Each spacecraft payload consists of a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensor integrated with an Automated Identification System (AIS) sensor.
RCM will provide the Government of Canada with enhanced surveillance, monitoring and management of Canada’s coastal and Arctic regions, fisheries, icy waterways, agricultural lands, natural resources, climate and fragile ecosystems, as well as to support highly operational defence capabilities and global disaster relief efforts. The three-satellite constellation is capable of scanning the Earth day or night and in any weather conditions, allowing for daily coverage over Canada’s vast territory and maritime approaches.
“We are thrilled to see the RCM satellites successfully launched,” said Mike Greenley, group president of MDA. “The RADARSAT Constellation Mission builds on the legacy of RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2, and on Canada’s expertise and leadership in Earth Observation from space. RADARSAT data has been critical to enhance the Canadian economy and to ensure sovereignty and security of our vast interests, while contributing to our role in the international community on issues impacting our planet.”
RADARSAT-1 was launched in November 1995. It operated for 17 years, well over its five-year life expectancy, during which it orbited Earth 90,828 times, travelling over 2 billion kilometres. It was Canada’s first Earth observation satellite. RADARSAT-1 images supported relief operations in 244 disaster events.
RADARSAT-2 was launched in December 2007 and is still operational today. This project represents a unique collaboration between government and industry. MDA owns and operates the satellite and ground segment. The Canadian Space Agency and MDA jointly funded the construction and launch of the satellite. The CSA recovers this investment through the supply of RADARSAT-2 data to the Government of Canada during the lifetime of the mission. The RCM satellite constellation has a design life of seven years providing benefits both for Canadians and for the entire world, as well as growing Canada’s global leadership position in space-based radar Earth observation. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
14 June 19. India to launch a defense-based space research agency. In a move to bolster India’s space warfare capabilities, the ruling National Democratic Alliance government has approved the creation of the Defence Space Research Organisation. DSRO will provide technical and research support to its parent organization, the Defence Space Agency.
Last week, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the creation of DSRO to also develop space warfare systems and associated technology, according to a Ministry of Defence official.
DSRO will be headed by a senior defense scientist who will lead a team of other scientists. The agency is expected to be operational by the end of this year.
The organization is also charged with finding and implementing defense applications for India’s entire spectrum of space technologies.
In April, the government established the Defence Space Agency, or DSA, to command the space assets of the Army, Navy and Air Force, including the military’s anti-satellite capability. The agency is also to formulate a strategy to protect India’s interests in space, including addressing space-based threats.
The MoD official noted that the creation of the two agencies is aimed at developing a multidimensional approach to using outer space for strategic purposes.
The DSA will be headed by an Air Force vice marshal and will have a staff of 200 personnel from three wings of the armed forces, according to another MoD official. In addition, the DSA will seek input on space as a domain of warfare from the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Defence Research and Development Organization.
India’s existing military space agencies — including the Defence Imagery Processing and Analysis Centre, located in New Delhi, and the Defence Satellite Control Centre, located in Bhopal — will be merged with DSA.
In March, India also conducted an anti-satellite test, which demonstrated its capability to shoot down satellites in space. (Source: Defense News)
12 June 19. Defence Science Centre launches in WA. West Australian Minister for Defence Issues Paul Papalia has laid the foundation for the state to be at the forefront of cutting-edge science and innovation with the establishment of the Defence Science Centre (DSC).
Launched by Minister Papalia, the DSC is a collaboration between the state and Commonwealth governments and WA’s four public universities. Minister Papalia said by formalising this partnership, defence-related research opportunities for WA researchers can be maximised.
He said, “Developing a DSC in WA will greatly enhance collaboration between the academic and industry sectors, and makes us part of a broader national network of defence-related research.”
One of the DSC’s key roles will be to act as a matchmaker between universities, government and industry to support security and technology development and capability requirements, with a particular focus on WA’s defence industry.
“This will enable WA researchers to more easily link into projects, boosting our own state’s capability and future-proofing WA’s defence industry, keeping and growing skills and knowledge here and creating job opportunities for Western Australians,” Minister Papalia added.
University of Western Australia researcher Professor David Badcock is already working as part of a national research team looking at realising the benefits of augmented reality devices.
The minister said the project, which seeks to understand risks and identify ways of realising enhanced capabilities through development of a prototype adaptive AR interface, is a prime example of how the DSC will link WA researchers with cutting-edge defence technology.
The DSC will be governed by a board of academic and industry experts, chaired by Russell Potapinski, GM intelligent and autonomous systems, Woodside. The centre will facilitate university-government-industry research and skills exchange via actively cultivating relationships and linkages.
Potapinski welcomed the appointment, saying, “I’m honoured to take up the position of inaugural chair of the Defence Science Centre.
“I look forward to playing a role in promoting even greater knowledge sharing and collaboration between government, industry and universities. Woodside has a strong track record of collaborative innovation partnerships, including with NASA. Woodside is a big supporter of Western Australian innovation capabilities, including in the area of remote operations – where space, defence and resources share common interests and challenges.”
DSC grants will be an important tool in supporting the facilitation of these exchanges and will set the conditions for commercial opportunities in industry, and business development.
The DSC will partner with the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute’s APR.Intern program to increase the number of internship projects undertaken by SMEs in Western Australia’s defence sector. This partnership will see 10 STEM PhD students placed into industry to undertake short-term focused research projects.
This program encourages university and industry collaboration that connects business and other organisations to the vast research expertise in Australia’s universities, and supports Western Australia’s STEM strategy.
Curtin University deputy vice-chancellor research, Professor Chris Moran, welcomed the announcement, saying, “Curtin University has world-recognised expertise in digital innovation, engineering marine acoustics and a global capability in the issues we face in the future of work.
“Working collaboratively with university partners, this expertise positions us to deliver high-impact research and multi-disciplinary solutions for Australia’s defence and national security needs. We welcome the establishment of the Defence Science Centre.”
These comments were echoed by Edith Cowan University vice-chancellor, Professor Steve Chapman, who said, “ECU is committed to making a difference through programs that are relevant and responsive to the real world needs of our community. Defence has an important role to protect Australia and our national interests, which would benefit from our leading-edge research in collaboration with our WA university partners and be greatly assisted by the establishment of the Defence Science Centre.”
Eligible industry partners will receive a subsidy through DSC as well as a 50 per cent federal government rebate through APR.Intern’s Supporting more women in STEM careers: Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute – National Research Internship Program (NRIP).
Minister Papalia congratulated all parties involved in the creation of the DCS, including Defence West, the Defence Science Technology Group of the Department of Defence, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia.
Murdoch University deputy vice-chancellor research and innovation, Professor David Morrison, added, “Murdoch is a research-led university, which focuses on multidisciplinary translational research with real-life impact. We welcome the development of the Defence Science Centre to harness the potential of academic collaboration and innovative thinking at universities to focus on Defence and industry challenges.”
“Contributing to the delivery of NRIP, the placements under the APR.Intern program will allow SMEs to cost-effectively tap into specialist research talent with unique skill-sets to advance Western Australian defence innovation,” added APR.Intern director and University of Melbourne Enterprise Professor Gary Hogan, AM. (Source: Defence Connect)
11 June 19. USAF gets new stopgap system for GPS 3 satellites. The U.S. Air Force’s first next-generation GPS satellite launched in December and the second GPS III satellite is slated to liftoff in July.
But there the Air Force has a problem: The ground system currently in use isn’t fully capable of controlling GPS III satellites. Worse, a new ground system that can, formally known as the next-generation operational control system (OCX), is five years behind schedule and won’t be delivered until June 2021 at the earliest, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Enter the GPS III Contingency Operations (COps) software—a critical stop gap measure that will update the current ground control system and allow it to access some of the more advanced features of the GPS III satellites until the next-generation operational control system is ready.
On July 11, primary contractor Lockheed Martin announced that it had delivered the COps upgrade to the Air Force.
“Positioning, navigation and timing is a critical mission for our nation and COps will allow the Air Force to gain early access to its new GPS III satellites,” said Johnathon Caldwell, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Navigation Systems. “We just finished final qualification testing and delivery on COps, and it will be integrated and installed on the [Architecture Evolution Plan Operational Control System] over the summer. We look forward to the Air Force ‘flying’ a GPS constellation on the COps OCS which includes the new GPS III satellites, later this year.”
The new GPS III satellites are built to be more robust and accurate than their predecessors and come with advanced features such as the ability to use M-Code, an encrypted GPS signal for use by the military.
The COps upgrade will allow the current ground system to control the GPS III satellites as well as the legacy GPS satellites. It will also allow the current system to access M-code Early Use, an encrypted GPS signal with improved anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities, beginning in 2020.
The Air Force contracted with Lockheed Martin to deliver the patch in 2016, the same year that the OCX program triggered a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach—a type of violation caused by significant cost growth that requires a program to be shut down unless the Department of Defense intervenes and approves a new cost estimate.
The $6.2bn OCX program is already five years behind schedule, and a May 21 Government Accountability Office report warned that the OCX program could be delayed even further. In addition, the Air Force has acknowledged that delays are possible during the seven-month testing period following delivery. Raytheon, the primary contractor behind OCX, rejected the GAO report, claiming that its findings were inaccurate. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
12 June 19. Harris Corporation Delivers Navigation Payload for U.S. Air Force’s Seventh GPS III Satellite.
Highlights:
- Continues delivery momentum with seventh of 10 advanced GPS III satellite navigation payloads
- Boosts GPS III’s signal power, accuracy, flexibility and lifespan
- Leverages 40-plus year legacy for more powerful, fully digital MDU on GPS III follow-on satellite
Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) has provided Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) with its seventh of 10 advanced navigation payloads contracted for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS III satellite program.
The GPS III navigation payload features a Mission Data Unit (MDU) with a unique 70-percent digital design that links atomic clocks, radiation-hardened processors and powerful transmitters – enabling signals up to three times more accurate than any GPS satellites currently in operation. The payload also boosts signal power, which increases jamming resistance by eight times and helps extend the satellite’s lifespan.
In 2017, Harris announced that it completed development of an even more-capable, fully digital MDU for the Air Force’s GPS III Follow On (GPS IIIF) program. The new GPS IIIF payload design will further enhance the satellite’s capabilities and performance.
In September 2018, the U.S. Air Force selected Lockheed Martin for a fixed-price-type production contract for up to 22 GPS IIIF satellites. Harris is Lockheed Martin’s navigation signal partner for GPS IIIF satellites, and in January received a $243m award to provide the navigation signals for the first two GPS IIIF satellites, space vehicles 11 and 12. Harris’ expertise in creating and sending GPS signals extends back to the mid-1970s – providing navigation technology for every U.S. GPS satellite ever launched. While the Air Force originally developed GPS for warfighters, millions of people around the world and billions of dollars of commerce now depend on the accurate, reliable signal created and sent by Harris navigation technology. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
12 June 19. Australian Space Agency seeks industry consultation on grant program. The Australian Space Agency (ASA) has sought feedback on the government’s International Space Investment (ISI) initiative launched in the federal budget in April. ASA would like to know what the industry and stakeholders think of the plan, which provides grants to strategic space projects that generate employment and business opportunities and whether it could be improved. That funding isn’t enormous – $15m over three years, with $3m in 2019-20, $5m on 2020-21 and $7m in 2021-22.
This will target projects with a minimum of 80 per cent of the investment in Australia for the benefit of Australian space industry firms.
ASA said the Australian space sector was growing fast, with forecasts of up to 7.1 per cent growth per year over the next five years, outpacing GDP. However, Australia is entering a rapidly growing and fiercely competitive international market and Australian space businesses face a range of market barriers which limit growth. That includes distance from markets, limited or incomplete local value chains, and limited connections into established international space economies like the US and Europe. They also face challenges accessing investment and venture capital markets.
“Australian space businesses will need to build capability and capacity to enter international supply chains,” ASA said.
ISI objectives are to help unlock international space opportunities for the Australian space sector, expand capability and capacity and demonstrate the sector’s ability to successfully deliver space-related products and services internationally.
It also aims to support projects that will inspire businesses, the community and the next generation of the space workforce, researchers and entrepreneurs. The ASA proposed that there should be two streams of activity for ISI funding. Through the Open Doors stream, grants would target international space agency projects that would unlock opportunities for the Australian space sector. Under the Expand Capability stream, grants would be awarded competitively to build capability and capacity of the Australian space sector and support creation of jobs. Grant funding could be used to support research and development, commercialisation, activities to expand Australian space industry capability and capacity, and avenues involving Australian businesses or products and services.
ASA said it would assess applications, taking advice from an expert panel. ASA plans to hold stakeholder consultations, including meetings in capital cities, in June and July. Program design will be finalised in July and August and applications for funding will open in September. The first grants will be delivered in November. (Source: Space Connect)
12 June 19. ESA reveals technologies for future launch vehicles. The European Space Agency (ESA) safeguards Europe’s guaranteed access to space through its Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP).
FLPP weighs up the opportunities and risks of different launch vehicle concepts and associated technologies. Its demonstrators and studies hone emerging technologies to give Europe’s rocket builders a valuable head-start as they begin the demanding work of turning the chosen design into reality.
Based on a standardised scale of “technology readiness levels” or TRL, technologies that have been demonstrated in a laboratory environment at level three are further developed within FLPP and tested via integrated demonstrators to raise them to TRL six.
Once a technology has reached level six, much of the risk linked to using a new technology in a space environment has been mitigated. It can be quickly transferred to a development up to flight (TRL nine) with optimised cost and schedule.
FLPP defines the concepts and requirements for new space transportation systems and services. Technologies are selected on their potential to reduce cost, improve performance, improve reliability, or on their ability to fulfil the specific needs of an identified system, demonstrator or mission.
Within the program, integrated demonstrators are built by combining multiple technologies into one system or subsystem so that industry can use the technology with confidence.
Future space transportation services and systems are assessed on their competitiveness and economic viability.
ESA’s objective is to develop a robust and flexible space transportation ecosystem that serves European needs. To achieve this, ESA brings together its various programs and business units, Europe’s launch service provider, and industry such as spacecraft manufacturers and innovative start-ups. FLPP projects cover fields such as propulsion, materials, reusability, production methods and avionics. (Source: Space Connect)
11 June 19. The USMC recently began fielding a next-generation narrowband satellite communication system that assists warfighters in connecting to networks on the battlefield. Fielded in the first quarter of 2019, the Mobile User Objective System provides satellite communication capabilities to mobile or stationary Marines. The system enables the warfighter to leverage cellular technology to increase access to voice and data communication while using the MUOS network.
“MUOS is another way for warfighters to communicate in a tactical environment,” said Eddie Young, project officer of Multiband Radio II Family of Systems at Marine Corps Systems Command. “The system brings SATCOM capabilities in various formats to Marines.”
The MUOS capability encompasses updated firmware to the AN/PRC-117G radio system and one of three antenna kits. The antennas help Marines simultaneously access SATCOM networks and gives them secure and nonsecure internet access. MUOS also improves overall reliability in urban environments, challenging vegetation and other arduous conditions.
“MUOS is essentially software and an antenna capability augmenting existing hardware,” said Noah Slemp, systems engineer at MCSC. “It’s similar to adding an application to a cellphone.”
The first service to widely employ MUOS, the Corps is deploying thousands of antenna kits for the AN/PRC-117G radio system and hundreds of diplexers that enable vehicular systems to access MUOS satellites.
“The Marine Corps is leading all services in terms of getting MUOS to warfighters,” said Young.
Satellite communication has become increasingly important for the Corps in the 21st century. According to the Department of Defense, more than 50 percent of DOD satellite communication involves narrowband communication. Yet, this form of communication accounts for less than 2 percent of the DOD’s bandwidth, making it an efficient way to transmit information.
MUOS is particularly important because the SATCOM infrastructure of the legacy system is nearing its expiration, said Slemp. As a result, the Corps intends to incrementally replace the older capabilities with the MUOS waveform, enabling more Marines to access ultra-high frequency tactical satellite communications.
Prior to fielding MUOS, MCSC had to demonstrate to the Milestone Decision Authority that the system was safe, met technical performance and was ready to use by the warfighter. Since MUOS’s Field User Evaluation in 2017, Marines have raved about the benefits of the system.
“Our Marines find MUOS useful in completing their missions,” said Young. “We’ve received a lot of positive feedback thus far.”
The efforts of Young’s team in getting the system out to the warfighter have not gone unnoticed. In May 2018, at a Narrowband Working Group conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Joint Staff J6 and the DOD Chief Information Officer recognized Young and Slemp for leading the services in employing MUOS.
The J6 and DOD CIO also emphasized the joint effort between the Multiband Radio II team and the Naval Information Warfare Center in using the Multiple Reconfigurable Training Systems, an interactive training aid that will be used to assist in the rapid fielding of MUOS.
“It was motivating to see that we were recognized for our efforts, because the team had put in a considerable amount of time and effort to make this happen,” said Young. “We recognize the warfighter needs this capability, and we’ve done everything we can to get it to them in a timely manner.”
11 June 19. Avanti Communications Group plc (Avanti) has signed an agreement with mgi global services Limited (mgi), an international voice and data service provider, making mgi one of Avanti’s exclusive master distributors for HYLAS 4 services and capacity. The five year agreement enables mgi to provide high-speed satellite broadband services across South Sudan, Chad and Angola. The partnership will improve the penetration of reliable satellite broadband in these countries, and significantly increase access to the internet.
Through Avanti’s latest state-of-the-art Ka-band satellite, HYLAS 4, mgi will provide affordable high-speed satellite broadband to connect governments, enterprises, schools, clinics and communities in South Sudan, Chad and Angola, especially in rural and other locations where terrestrial networks are limited or unreliable.
Avanti CEO, Kyle Whitehill, said “HYLAS 4, the latest addition to our satellite fleet, was launched to complete our coverage of Sub-Saharan Africa. We are delighted to be working with the mgi team as a preferred partner to drive the realisation of our mission to deliver broadband access to help liberate the potential of communities and businesses wherever they are located.”
mgi Managing Partner, Ilija Reymond, added “We are committed to providing governments, NGOs, businesses and communities across Sub-Saharan Africa with reliable and top tier telecommunications services. Avanti’s HYLAS 4 enables us to provide customers with affordable high speed and quality broadband flexible Ka-band satellite technology. Our first live site with HYLAS 4 has been a real success. We’re excited to partner with Avanti to further expand our service portfolio and to continue supporting the digital transformation in Africa.”
11 June 19. Gilmour aims for sovereign defence satellite capability. Queensland-based Gilmour Space Technologies has developed a hybrid rocket for the launch of satellites into low-Earth orbit that the company believes could support Defence’s pursuit of sovereign launch capabilities, with an aim to launch Defence satellites by 2021.
The rockets are currently used for commercial purposes and the company believes its motors have the right capability for a Defence application. Adam Gilmour, CEO and founder of Gilmour Space Technologies, said no defence force in the world currently uses tactical rapid response satellites, although the Americans are working on it.
“Sovereign launch capabilities will give Australian Defence greater self-reliance in space. With the rising risk of space warfare and space debris collisions, our own launch capabilities will allow us to quickly replace damaged or destroyed assets such as ISR, PNT – that is, positioning navigation and timing – communications and imaging satellites,” Gilmour said.
Gilmour aims to bring two low-cost launch systems for sub-orbital and orbital launches: the Ariel, which is scheduled for operation in the first quarter of 2019, and the Eris, which is scheduled for introduction in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Ariel provides sub-orbital launch capability with an estimated launch price of US$9,000 per kilogram, a max payload of 130 kilograms and altitude of up to 150 kilometres. Gilmour claims that the Ariel payload bay is 50 per cent larger than other sounding rockets and supports industry standard payload modules, which are recoverable with the optional installation of a parachute recovery system.
The Eris system provides orbital launch capacity (low-Earth orbit) with an estimated launch price of US$25,000-38,000 per kilogram depending on the payload mass, with a max payload of 400 kilograms. Eris is a three-stage launch system propelled by eight of the G-70 hybrid rocket engines developed by Gilmour Space Technologies.
Gilmour Space Technologies is currently designing a vehicle that could launch a number of satellites, including satellites similar to the Buccaneer, which was launched in 2017. Gilmour said the company plans to provide this capability in 2021.
CDIC business advisers helped Gilmour Space Technologies with guidance about the defence marketplace, technology control regulations and industry grant programs, and audited the business’ defence market preparedness.
“We knew that engaging with the CDIC, the advisers could provide the connections and advice we require to work with Defence, as well as assisting us with proposals and generally helping facilitate business,” Gilmour said.
“It’s been fantastic to be able to talk to the CDIC when we come across issues. The government is doing a great job of linking industry with Defence. Since working with the CDIC we have become more professional and our systems more robust. We continue to make improvements and are aiming to work directly with Defence.”
Gilmour Space Technologies has also submitted a Defence Innovation Hub proposal to send satellites into space on short notice.
Gilmour Space Technologies is a next-generation hybrid propulsion company that is developing low-cost launch vehicles for the small satellite market. Since obtaining its Series A funding mid-last year, the Queensland-based company has achieved a number of major milestones, including a Space Act Agreement with NASA and a successful 12-second, 75 kN thrust (16,900 lb) test-fire of its orbital rocket engine. (Source: Space Connect)
10 June 19. Russia to launch two upgraded Meridian-M military communications satellites in 2019. Russia plans to launch two upgraded Meridian-M military communications satellites this year, Russian Defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced on 31 May at a Ministry of Defence (MoD) board meeting. The satellite is expected to be taken into orbit on a Soyuz-2 carrier rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the last quarter of 2019, according to media sources. The Russian MoD tasked JSC Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev Company in 2017 to manufacture four Meridian-M military satellites. According to a statement from Nikolai Testoyedov, CEO of Reshetnev, the company manufactured the first two Meridian-M satellites in 2018 and 2019, and intends to produce the third satellite in 2020 and the fourth in 2022. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
09 June 19. Orbital Insight Expands Asia Presence with New Singapore Office. New location is part of Orbital Insight’s strategic expansion into Asian markets following Tokyo office opening in February 2018 and launch of GO product last month. Orbital Insight announced today the opening of its Singapore office. This is the company’s seventh office location and the second dedicated sales office to open in Asia in the past 16 months as the company seeks to further its strategic expansion in the Asian markets following its Tokyo opening in February 2018 and to capitalize on the launch of its commercial geospatial analytics product, GO, last month.
From its Singapore office, Orbital Insight will expand its business to key markets in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia to locally serve a wide range of financial investors, corporates and governments. Orbital Insight’s Asia Pacific customers are already using the company’s leading geospatial data and analytics services for use in the commercial and catastrophe insurance sector, commodities monitoring for oil, palm oil, steel and coal, as well as many other sectors to help drive better, more timely business and policy decisions.
The office is led by Laura Ryan, Orbital Insight’s Director of Sales – South Asia and General Manager – Singapore. Ms. Ryan brings more than 15 years of experience in global financial technology supporting Asia’s asset managers, hedge funds, and family offices. She previously served in similar posts at Refinitiv (formerly Thomson Reuters), where she focused on the growth of the company’s exchange traded business across the Asia Pacific region, and at Eze Software Group, where she was Head of Asia Pacific Sales.
“This strategic office opening in Singapore is the result of the strong positive reception Orbital Insight has received in the APAC market,” said AJ DeRosa, Chief Revenue Officer at Orbital Insight. “We’re excited to meet the growing demand for geospatial analytics in South Asia from some of the world’s leading investors and institutions.” (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
10 June 19. China makes successful satellite launch from vessel at sea. Showing that extensive infrastructure isn’t needed to launch satellites into space, China has launched a Long March 11 rocket from a ship at sea. That was the 306th launch of a rocket in the Long March series, but the first at sea. This rocket carried five commercial satellites and two others with science packages, one to measure sea-surface winds to forecast typhoons. Two of the commercial satellites belong to China 125, a Beijing-based technology company that is planning a global constellation of hundreds of satellites providing global data networking services. China’s official Xinhua News Agency said such seaborne launch technology will meet a growing demand for launches of satellites into low-Earth orbit.
The 20-metre-long Long March 11 is one of the smaller members of the Long March family, a solid fuel rocket designed for speedy deployment and launch of smaller satellites. It can carry a payload of 700 kilograms into low-Earth orbit. In contrast, the Long March 9, which is now in development, will carry a payload of 140 tonnes.
Both the US and Russia have successfully launched rockets from ships at sea.
The main advantage is that launches can be conducted closer to the equator, gaining maximum benefit from the Earth’s higher rotational speed. That means less fuel is needed and larger payloads can be carried.
China is rapidly developing its space sector.
It conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, following the Russia and the US as just the third nation to send humans into space using its own technology.
China is pressing ahead with its plans to send a probe to Mars and land a rover on the planet surface.
That’s planned for next year during the launch window in July-August. Missing this narrow window would require a wait of 26 months before the next opens.
China has already conducted missions to the moon, the first a controlled crash in 2009, followed by probes to the moon surface in 2013 and again last month, unusually, on the far side of the moon.
This month, a Chinese space firm is planning a launch that would make it the first private company in China to place a satellite in orbit.
Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology, better known as iSpace, plans to launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert using its Hyperbola-1 four-stage rocket. (Source: Space Connect)
10 June 19. ESA to increase Australian tracking capacity with new dish at New Norcia station. The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced plans to expand capability at its New Norcia tracking station in Western Australia with the addition of another large antenna. ESA said with so many spacecraft and satellites currently supported by the ESA tracking network, the station was running near to full capacity.
“To ensure communication links with current and future missions – such as the planned Lagrange mission to monitor our temperamental Sun – the network will need higher capacity. For this reason, as part of ESA’s Space19+ campaign, ESA is proposing a new 35-metre antenna in Western Australia,” ESA said.
Australia has long been involved with tracking other people’s space missions, dating back to the dawn of the space age and the US Apollo program, which put man on the moon.
Tracking and communications has been performed through facilities, mostly in NSW and the ACT, especially NASA’s Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex at Tidbinbilla outside the national capital.
Less well known is the ESA New Norcia Station, about 135 kilometres north of Perth, one of three tracking facilities for ESA space missions. The others are in Spain and Agentina.
All form part of the ESA tracking network ESTRACK, able to receive vast quantities of data from distant spacecraft. Farthest so far was the NASA Cassini spacecraft more than 1.4 billion kilometres from Earth.
New Norcia began operations in 2003 and from the start of this month is managed by the CSIRO, which also runs the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex.
New Norcia and ESA’s other two stations are operated from the ESA control centre in Germany. It also provides tracking services for Ariane, Soyuz and Vega launchers lifting off from the European Spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana.
Australia and ESA have had treaties in place since 1979 to enable ground stations on Australian soil to track spacecraft and interplanetary missions.
The three ESA stations were all built between 2002 and 2012, and all possess state-of-the-art capabilities for tracking and communicating with Europe’s deep space missions, including the Mars Express now in orbit around the Red Planet and BepiColombo, which is on its way to Mercury.
ESA said New Norcia’s 35-metre deep space antenna was now being looked after by a new team, led by site manager Suzy Jackson, who previously worked as an engineer on development of CSIRO’s Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope in WA.
The New Norcia station is key to communicating with Europe’s missions across the solar system and observing the universe, including Mars Express currently in orbit around the Red Planet and BepiColombo – on its way to Mercury.
“Australia is well suited to radio astronomy and radio communication with spacecraft and rocket launchers,” Jackson said in an ESA article on New Norcia.
“In Western Australia, you don’t have to go far before the population density drops straight away. It’s terrible for mobile phone coverage but just perfect for clear skies, without interference from people’s phones and televisions.”
ESA has considered other measures to increase the capacity of its tracking network. One proposal was to use an existing deep space dish antenna at the DLR Weilheim site near Munich, which isn’t at full capacity. (Source: Space Connect)
07 June 19. What are the benefits of commercial space? The commercial sector continues to grow its presence in space, and defense organizations are taking a hard look at how to take advantage of private sector capabilities and where they can cede ground to contractors.
That was a topic of discussion at the 18th annual C4ISRNET Conference in Arlington, Virginia, where a June 6 panel of experts shared their thoughts on how the government and the commercial sector could work together in space.
Putting things in a historical context, President and CEO of SES Government Solutions Pete Hoene argued that the commercial sector had essentially taken over the space race.
“Overall, the last 10 years, what I would argue is commercial has taken over in terms of investment, in terms of innovation,” said Hoene.
“Space started out as a domain for nation-states, and for security considerations we look at it from a nation-state perspective,” said Victoria Samson, Washington office director of the Secure World Foundation. “But who is launching all these new constellations and satellites? It’s not governments; it’s the commercial sector. Space is becoming and will become a commercial domain almost entirely, and national security will be a very small part of that in terms of the number of satellites.”
Faced with the inevitability of space as a primarily commercial domain, the onus is on the government to discover where for-profit enterprises can compliment government missions and where government should contract with industry to provide capacity.
The National Reconnaissance Office took a stab at this question earlier this week when it announced that it was taking steps toward purchasing more commercial imagery through three study contracts with commercial companies.
“The demand signal is growing. That’s one of the reasons why we’re going to be stepping up our procurement of commercial imagery,” said Troy Meink, director of the NRO’s Geospatial Intelligence Directorate at the GEOINT 2019 conference in San Antonio June 3. “We really needed to look at increasing the number of vendors and getting access to more vendors to meet those capabilities.”
The government can also lean on the commercial sector to enhance its own assets in space.
“We can actually use our relationships with the commercial technologies to help inform our requirements that go into systems that we may uniquely require on the defense or the intelligence side,” explained Col. Steve Butow, the Defense Innovation Unit’s space portfolio director.
Comfort added that at the piece part level of the supply chain, the commercial sector had developed supplies that are more resilient and advanced, which the government can then use in its own assets. That robustness has not yet extended into all aspects of the supply chain, he noted. A lack of U.S. manufacturers for many technologies is also a concern, added Butow.
While the commercial takeover of space may present plenty of opportunities for the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community in terms of increasing its capacity and capabilities in space, it will be a challenge to find the right mix of engagement between government and private industry.
“It’s a time of change and our institutional processes are scrambling to keep up with this change,” said Samson. “It’s probably going to get uglier before it gets better.” (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
07 June 19. Advanced Orbital Maneuvering Demo to be Incorporated by ThrustMe into the GomSpace GOMX-5 ESA Mission. Cubesats are becoming more and more capable — once considered a useful “toy” to educate aerospace engineers, they are now widely used for scientific research and commercial applications. In 2018, more than 300 cubesats were launched into space, and market forecasts estimate an annual growth of 30 percent over the years to come. With the swarm of new satellites being launched into LEO and MEO, it is not only the traditional space community that is getting concerned about the sustainability of space. ThrustMe has been selected by GomSpace for the GOMX-5 ESA mission to demonstrate advanced maneuvers for the satellite constellations of tomorrow. While satellites are getting smaller and cheaper, constellations are getting larger and more complex. Thus, advanced propulsion capabilities will be the next competitive differentiator.
Dr. Ane Aanesland, Co-Founder and CEO of ThrustMe, said that for this new space industry to be sustainable, both from an environmental as well as an economical perspective, the company understood that these new satellites will one day need a variety of advanced space propulsion technologies. ThrustMe decided to work on this problem and the firm has brought in revolutionary technological innovations to reply to this industry need.
Niels Buus, CEO of GomSpace, noted that now, when cubesatss have become commoditized, it is time to look at the next step. The GOMX-5 mission is a follow up from the previously successful GOMX-3 and GOMX-4 missions and this time the company wants to test and demonstrate the most promising technologies for miniaturized space propulsion for maneuverability required for the constellations of tomorrow.
Kim Toft Hansen, Project Manager of GOMX-5 at GomSpace, added that the company’s technological solution is truly revolutionary. The firm has brought in breakthrough ideas and coupled it with clever engineering solutions.
Pressurized propellant storage is a significant roadblock for miniaturized propulsion systems; it can be expensive, difficult to manufacture, requires significant qualification testing, not to mention complications and possible safety hazards with transport or filling prior to launch. Already in 2008, the founders of ThrustMe and their former research colleagues at the Ecole Polytechnique/CNRS in France, started looking into using iodine as a propellant replacement for pressurized xenon used in conventional plasma-based propulsion systems.
Dr. Aanesland noted that at that time, it was so exotic that the company had difficulty being taken seriously and not judged as crazy physicists. However, with persistence, theoretical modelling and proof-of-concept experiments showing the feasibility of iodine as an alternative propellant, thruster performance was predicted to be comparable to state-of-the-art systems using xenon. This proved to be an important breakthrough that helped motivate the creation of ThrustMe in early 2017 and the development of a new, completely stand-alone propulsion system. The potential of iodine is now recognized and being explored by a number of companies throughout the world.
Dr. Dmytro Rafalskyi, co-founder and CTO of ThrustMe, added that iodine has some unique properties, but the firm knew that to be able to make this idea into a real product, new thinking had to be applied. Xenon simply cannot be just replaced with iodine and then hope that it would work.
In ThrustMe’s propulsion system, called the NPT30-I2 and to be demonstrated on the upcoming GOMX-5 mission, a heating element causes sublimation of solid iodine into a gas, which is then used to create a plasma in a special discharge chamber. By setting the temperature of the heating element to specific values, the sublimation rate can be precisely controlled and different iodine flow rates obtained. This allows the propulsion system to operate in different modes (such as high-thrust, or high fuel efficiency) at various stages of a cubesat mission, which greatly increases flexibility and opens up further mission options.
ThrustMe’s NPT30 is an intelligent, modular and stand-alone electric propulsion system based on gridded ion thruster technology. The NPT30 operating with xenon propellant is currently commercially available and has been purchased by several clients already. Due to its modular design, new innovations can easily be included. ThrustMe is working on new technologies for both acceleration and propellant management. During the GOMX-5 mission, the NPT30 operating with iodine will be tested to demonstrate the full potential of this system. The NPT30 is expected to enable large orbital transfer maneuvers for the constellations of tomorrow. (Source: Satnews)
03 June 19. Clyde Space Delivers NSLSat-1 to Vostochny Cosmodrome for Launch. ÅAC Microtec’s subsidiary, Clyde Space, has delivered the company’s first 6U cubesat, NSLSat-1, to the launch provider.
This groundbreaking communications satellite is part of a space-as-a-service contract under which AAC Clyde Space designs, manufactures, launches, and operates the satellite on behalf of NSLComm. The mission is set to revolutionize the space communications network with the introduction of an innovative, high-performance, deployable antenna and sub-reflector system. The satellite is intended to be the first in a future constellation of about 80 satellites. NSLSat-1 is due to be launched June 2019 on a Soyuz launch vehicle from Vostochny Cosmodrome, in far eastern Russia. This delivery is a key milestone for the company and the NSLSat-1 mission represents a full end-to-end mission service package, from spacecraft design to data supply to NSLComm. This advanced 6U cubesat will demonstrate highly disruptive technology providing Ka-band communications from LEO. It is equipped with an innovative parabolic antenna which will be deployed once the satellite is on orbit, enabling a wide array of new applications and affordable space based, high-speed data transfer with expected data rates of up to 3 Gbps. The satellite’s antenna and sub-reflector payload has in-built smart technology capable of changing the ground pattern of the antenna beam depending on the area of interest at the time. This versatility of operation enables the concentration of the data to specific locations on the ground, achieving what are likely to be record breaking data rates. NSLComm develops satellite technology that enables high-speed data transfer for government, commercial, and private applications. The long-term vision for NSLComm is to provide a worldwide communications network via an orbiting constellation of about 80 spacecraft providing global coverage data and media applications.
Dr. Raz Itzhaki, CEO of NSLComm, said that NSLSat-1 was conceived four years ago. It is going to provide an unprecedented throughput of above 1Gbps which is 100 times more throughput than similar satellites capabilities. The successful cooperation with Clyde Space is a stepping stone to an envisioned communication constellation.
Craig Clark, Chief Strategy Officer at Clyde Space, added that this mission is pushing the boundaries of data rate capability from very small satellites, proving a performance level that will make traditional telecom companies take notice. (Source: Satnews)
05 June 19. Arianespace Readies Dual Passengers AT&T T-16 and EUTELSAT-7C for Upcoming Ariane 5 Launch. AT&T T-16 – one of two satellite passengers for Arianespace Flight VA248 – is processed in one of the clean room halls at the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation facility in French Guiana. The two satellite passengers for Arianespace’s upcoming Ariane 5 flight — AT&T T-16 and EUTELSAT 7C — are advancing through their payload preparation phases during parallel activity at the Spaceport in French Guiana. Both are telecommunications relay platforms for operation by long-time Arianespace customers: AT&T, which provides mobile, broadband, video and other communications services to U.S.-based consumers; and Eutelsat, the Paris-based company providing satellite capacity to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies.
Scheduled for liftoff on June 20, this mission is to mark the fifth flight in 2019 by a member of Arianespace’s launch vehicle family — which consists of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium-size Soyuz and lightweight Vega. It will be the second this year using the workhorse Ariane 5.
AT&T T-16, produced in France by Airbus Defence and Space based on the Eurostar 3000 LX Hybrid platform, will occupy the upper passenger position in Ariane 5’s dual-payload configuration, to be released first during the launch sequence. This hybrid-propulsion-powered broadcast satellite can be operated from five different orbital slots (from 99 degrees West to 119 degrees West) following its deployment by Ariane 5, with a coverage area that will include the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico — liftoff mass is estimated at 6,350 kg.
EUTELSAT 7C, a telecom satellite with all-electric propulsion, is to be released from the Ariane 5 launcher’s lower payload position. It was built by Maxar Technologies using the company’s 1300-140 All-Electric platform and will weigh approximately 3,400 kg. at liftoff. Once operational from its orbital position at 7 degrees East, EUTELSAT 7C will significantly increase capacity over Sub-Saharan Africa – making room for several hundred additional digital channels as this region’s television market continues to grow at a rapid pace. (Source: Satnews)
05 June 19. The First Iridium® GMDSS Terminal is Recognized as Second Ever Sat Provider for This Critical Service. Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) and partner Lars Thrane have unveiled the Lars Thrane (LT) 3100S terminal designed to operate on the Iridium network for Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) vessel carriage requirements, with service targeted to launch in January 2020.
This is the first terminal designed to provide truly global GMDSS services and is the first to be offered after the International Maritime Organization’s decision to recognize Iridium as just the second-ever satellite provider for this critical service. With the LT-3100S, mariners will have an all-in-one system that can meet Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention vessel carriage requirements, while also serving as a primary or companion communications system. Unlike the competitive alternative, this small and compact new terminal will offer GMDSS services, along with voice, texting, and data services with a built in GNSS/GPS receiver. The multi-service terminal also supports the Ship Security Alert System (SSAS), Anti-Piracy/Citadel Communications and Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT).
For decades, only Inmarsat was authorized to provide satellite GMDSS services, limiting coverage and stifling innovation. The addition of Iridium as a GMDSS provider will extend the coverage of this service to 100 percent of the planet’s waterways, including the dangerous A4 regions (Arctic and Antarctic) for the first time. In April, Iridium and the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) announced the signing of a Public Services Agreement (PSA) which detailed the conditions for IMSO to act as regulator and maintain oversight of Iridium’s Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) services. This was a key step in the process towards IMSO issuing Iridium a Letter of Compliance, stating that the company is ready to begin providing its GMDSS service. Currently in the implementation phase of preparing for GMDSS service introduction, Iridium anticipates providing service as of January 2020.
Peter Thrane, CEO of Lars Thrane, said the recognition of the Iridium satellite network to provide GMDSS services fundamentally changes the status quo of the maritime industry. The company immediately recognized the unique capabilities Iridium offers and wanted to make sure the firm provided the very first terminal available for Iridium GMDSS. The LEO Iridium network with interconnected satellites allows the company to offer multiple services throughout all the world’s waterways in a single, compact terminal.
Kyle Hurst, Director of Maritime Safety and Security Services for Iridium added that with all three GMDSS services in one low-cost, absolutely global and compact terminal, more mariners will be able to take advantage of these lifesaving capabilities. The navigational and meteorological warnings from the terminals, Maritime Safety Information broadcasts, will help mariners try to avoid danger. If they cannot, the new terminals’ Distress Alert and Distress Voice features will be able to help. This delivers on a key Iridium maritime goal: “using our unique technology to make the oceans safer.”
Wouter Deknopper, VP and GM of Maritime for Iridium, noted that the new GMDSS terminal from Lars Thrane is unlike any single option the industry has ever had and can meet all bridge communications needs for any size vessel, not just SOLAS. A new era of choice, truly global coverage, innovation and reliability has come to the maritime industry with Iridium GMDSS and the firm’s recently launched L-band broadband service, Iridium Certus®. (Source: Satnews)
03 June 19. SpaceX Starlink Could Soon Initiate Services Over North America. Elon Musk’s satellite-based broadband constellation could start offering services over North America after just six batches of satellites have been launched, this according to a report at Advanced Television’s infosite. The first batch of 60 satellites were launched successfully last week on May 23rd. SpaceX, where Starlink is a subsidiary company, said it will launch between two and six dedicated extra Starlink launches by the end of this year and a potential 600+ satellites on-orbit by the end of 2020. If SpaceX can launch those extra rockets, and each successfully carries 60 satellites, then an optimistic forecast could see consumers and businesses tap into the system this coming winter. Musk has said that in time the Starlink system could bring in £30 to $50bn annually. However, there’s a problem, and it concerns the ground-based antenna receivers which are currently horribly expensive and well out of the pocket of the average consumer. Each satellite transmits four phased array antennas to the ground. That’s the good news. The challenge is that the satellites are traveling at a terrific speed across the sky, which is why thousands of them are needed to complete the constellation. One satellite passing overhead will be replaced by another before the first craft drops beyond the horizon. A rival to Starlink, Kymeta Corp, supplies similar LEO receivers at a cost of about $30,000 each. An Iridium satellite terminal (for its Go! 9560 product) costs about $700. Elon Musk has said that each Starlink receiver will be “medium pizza-box sized,” but his team’s aim now will be to see those costs trimmed to just a few hundred dollars initially. Indeed, that’s the target Musk has set. Each terminal could cost about $200, and at that price the system could be appealing to many tens of thousands of potential users unable to access adequate broadband signals. (Source: Satnews)
02 June 19. SSTL’s Successful ‘Selfie’ Reveals Deployment of De-Orbit Drag Sail on TechDemoSat-1. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) has released an image showing the successful deployment of the de-orbit drag sail on-board TechDemoSat-1. The deployment of the Icarus-1 drag sail, which was supplied by Cranfield University, marks the end of mission operations for SSTL’s TechDemoSat-1 small satellite which was launched into a 635km. LEO in 2014. TechDemoSat-1, a 150 kg. on-orbit technology demonstration smallsat mission, validated eight innovative UK spacecraft instruments and software payloads and also acquired ocean wind speed datasets using GNSS reflectometry. The deployed sail measures approximately 6.7 m2 and is designed to significantly increase the spacecraft’s rate of orbital decay, in compliance with current Space Debris Mitigation best practice and guidelines.
The Icarus-1 drag sail consists of a thin aluminium frame fitted around one of the external panels of the spacecraft in which four trapezoidal Kapton sails and booms are stowed and restrained by a cord. Deployment is achieved by activating cord-cutter actuators, allowing the stored energy in the spring hinges to unfold the booms and the sail. The inspection camera on-board TechDemoSat-1 was manufactured by SSTL’s optics experts from COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) technologies and combines a color CMOS camera with a high performance machine vision lens delivering 1280 x 1024 resolution imagery and a field of view of 65 x 54 degrees. The camera previously captured footage moments after separation from the Fregat upper stage of the Soyuz-2 launcher, as the satellite began its first orbit in space.
SSTL is the satellite platform manufacturer and spacecraft operator for the RemoveDEBRIS mission, and the supplier of the Target satellite for ASTROSCALE’s ELSA-d end-of-life spacecraft retrieval and disposal technology demonstration mission.
TechDemoSat-1 was part-funded by Innovate UK and was jointly operated by SSTL in Guildford and by the Satellite Applications Catapult in Harwell. The spacecraft carried eight separate payloads from UK academia and industry, providing valuable in-orbit validation for new technologies:
- MuREM, a flexible miniature radiation and effects monitor from Surrey Space Centre
- ChaPS, a prototype compact instrument to detect electrons and ions from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory
- HMRM, a lightweight, ultra-compact radiation monitor designed to measure total radiation dose, particle flux rate and identify electrons, protons and ions from Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Imperial College
- LUCID, a device to measure characterization of the energy, type, intensity and directionality of high energy particles from the Langton Star Centre
- Compact Modular Sounder system, a modular infrared remote sensing radiometer unit from Oxford University’s Planetary Group and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
- De-orbit sail (Icarus-1 mentioned above) from Cranfield University
- Cubesat ADCS, a 3-axes attitude determination and control subsystem from SSBV
- Sea State Payload, a device using an enhanced GPS receiver from SSTL and components from a Synthetic Aperture Radar from Airbus Defence and Space to monitor reflected signals to determine ocean roughness.
Sarah Parker, Managing Director of SSTL, said it is fantastic to see an image of TechDemoSat’s deployed drag sail captured by the onboard inspection camera. This on-orbit image of a deployed drag sail on one of the company’s satellites is a first for SSTL and is a fitting culmination of mission operations for this highly innovative small satellite. Stephen Hobbs, Head of Cranfield University’s Space Group, commented that Cranfield is delighted to see the Icarus de-orbit technology demonstrated successfully on-orbit once again. With the Icarus sails now deployed on both TechDemoSat-1 and Carbonite-1, SSTL and Cranfield have demonstrated clear leadership in this technology. All hope to see many more satellites following TechDemoSat-1’s example to keep space clear of debris. It’s been great to work with SSTL on this mission. (Source: Satnews)
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